Eagle Lager, Accra Brewery Limited’s (ABL’s) cassava beer brand, has commissioned a newly constructed furrow irrigation system and a solar powered mechanised borehole for farmers in Nabio, a community in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region. 

The farmers who are mainly into the cultivation of millet, maize, cowpea, groundnut and rearing of animals and poultry lack a constant source of water for domestic as well as their farming activities. The situation becomes severe during the dry season, affecting their vegetable production. 

It is against this backdrop that Eagle Lager Beer, as part of its sustainable development initiatives, provided the GHC91,00 facility to alleviate their challenges. The project is expected to benefit a population of over five thousand (5000) in Nabio and surrounding communities like Gia and Betui.

The irrigation system initiative is the Eagle brand’s contribution to ensuring that farming activities in these areas are sustained.  

It further forms part of ABL’s objective to help create a productive world where land is used responsibly, food supply is secure, biodiversity is protected and crops can be accessed at reasonable prices.  ABL believes that if it achieves these objectives it will at the same time improve the livelihoods of rural farmers.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony at Nabio, the District Chief Executive for the area,  George Nontera, commended the company for the innovative initiative which will go a long way to ensure food security and further reduce poverty among residents.

Nontera noted that “Nabio is a farming community that has a population of over 5000 people.   This project will offer an alternative to rain-fed agriculture, thereby enabling the farmers to cultivate their crops during the dry season”. 

Jerry Gokah, a Senior Brands Manager of Accra Brewery Limited, noted that “sustainable development is a key ambition of the company and we believe that we can improve food security for small-scale farmers who supply us by helping them increase their incomes and food production.  

In line with this, Eagle Lager is being developed as a ‘brand with a purpose’ to “grow farming economies” through agro-based and social intervention programmes.  

“Part of our brand strategy is to bring sustainable development agenda to life which is to ensure the brand’s sustainability.  The successful execution of the Eagle Farmer Project changed perceptions, brought the business closer to local communities and created an affection and affinity between consumers and the brand”, Mr Gokah added.

Mr. Gokah noted that the key objective of the Eagle farmer initiative started last year is to improve the livelihood and income levels of rural farmers.